


Unexpectedly

by thatsoccercoach



Series: Which Door? [55]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Cancer, family in times of need
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 16:55:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15755919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoccercoach/pseuds/thatsoccercoach
Summary: Sometimes the unexpected draws your family closer.





	Unexpectedly

                                                             

Mondays were actually one of Claire Fraser’s favorite days of the week. Unless something unusual was happening such as a holiday, both Faith and Brianna would be at preschool on Mondays. Most of the time Jamie was at work but on occasion his schedule permitted him to be off work and with her instead. Primarily, she spent her time soaking up all those precious moments that happen only once in a lifetime with Willa and Fergus.

Right now both infants were just beginning to roll over but inevitably Willa always rolled to her left and Fergus always rolled to his right. This meant that she could sit on the floor with them positioned to roll together instead of away from her and there was nobody to chase down or fetch back. She knew it wouldn’t last long but she intended to enjoy the entertaining and useful situation while it lasted.

They were on the carpet now, enjoying the sweet time together. Fergus was thrilled with his ability to roll and ended with a grin on his face no matter if he ended face up or on his belly. Willa on the other hand was offended by her body’s rolling without her being in total control. She knew she had some part in it but couldn’t seem to figure it out. 

“Willa,” Claire called softly to her daughter, attempting to get a smile out of her. “Hello, little love!” she crooned. Willa lifted her feet into the air, grabbing one and gumming it. She smiled around the foot and Claire laughed at her.

Fergus, in contrast, smiled at everyone and everything. He made soft cooing noises now in response to Claire and Willa’s interaction. He watched the world and assumed it was all about him, which wasn’t far from wrong. His sisters adored him. His parents doted on him. His cousins and the rest of the family were charmed by him.

She reached for her phone that vibrated on the side table at the end of the couch thinking all the while that it was a shame she was so tethered to technology in the moments she should be enjoying her babies. Then she noticed. Five missed calls from Jamie. She hit the “return call” button and held the phone up to her ear as thoughts flitted through her mind, each one increasingly disastrous in nature.

“Claire?” his voice burst from the speaker of the phone, a little too loud, a little curt.

“What is it, Jamie? Has something happened?” Of course something had happened. She could feel that it had.

The babies babbled contentedly in the background, a stark contrast to the anxiety permeating the stilted conversation she was having with her husband.

“Aye,” he said, unable to think of a way to allay her concerns without coming right out and saying what was wrong then moving on to see if things could be mended. “‘Tis Murtagh. Suzette asked if we could come to the hospital. I dinna really ken what happened but she said she wanted us there.”

“Can you come get us?” she asked. Lallybroch was between his job and the hospital. If he wasn’t already on his way she’d much prefer to be with him on this errand.

“Aye, I can.”

“I’ll have Willa and Fergus ready and call the girls’ preschool to make sure they can attend after-care. I’ll be waiting, Jamie.” 

* * *

Willa and Fergus sat, gummy smiles on their faces, strapped into the stroller that had once held their older sisters. Blessedly, they loved the motion of the stroller and would be content to sit and ride for quite a while which was ideal, all things considered.  Their joy incongruous to the tense emotions that seemed to be permeating the air.

Suzette Fraser met them in the entryway, eyes rimmed in red.

It’s strange how an entire life can change in a single moment. Once in a while, a tiny spark bursts into glorious flame and circumstances change for good in a way that you never anticipated or dreamed of. At other times life abruptly pivots and the dreams you held dear are stripped from you like leaves stripped off a tree by a winter storm that strikes without warning, leaving devastation in its wake.

_Cancer._

One word for a stolen future. A word for a life in tumult. By definition, “Something evil or malignant that spreads destructively.”  

Claire could feel Jamie trembling beside her. She couldn’t tell if it was fear or frustration. His muscles were tense, strung tightly, and she unobtrusively moved closer to him. She didn’t know if she was offering comfort or seeking it but he was part of her, neither of them was whole without the other, and she had to be with him now.

She breathed deeply, envisioning her body filling up from her toes to her legs and continuing on up. She had to listen, had to think. It was required that she be grounded right now.

“What happened, Suzette? What brought him here in the first place?” Her voice was steadier than she thought it would be. Jamie looked at her gratefully, glad that she had found the words to find out more.

“He fell down the full flight of stairs in front of the apartment! I called in the emergency because I thought he hit his head worse than he did. While they were running scans and checking him, they found it.”

Suzette continued to ramble, sometimes repeating herself in her haste, but Claire was able to cobble the information together. Murtagh had fallen and there had been concerns regarding the possibility of a concussion.

“Why did ye not call me?” Jamie interjected, flustered enough to ask and not to realize how silly the question actually was.

Claire reached out a hand that settled on his arm and he stilled, ready to listen once again.

Initially, Murtagh had said he was fine. As he went back into the apartment, he noticed a few bumps might have been more than just bumps. He’d gotten progressively more disoriented and it was at that point Suzette had called the paramedics who’d transferred Murtagh to the nearest hospital.

In a series of incredible coincidences, the many scans and tests he’d had run had been handed to one of the hospital’s best doctors who just happened to be working in the emergency room for the day. He noticed the anomaly, requested further testing, pushed for rapid answers, and had a conclusive diagnosis faster than anyone could have imagined. There were still details to pin down and more investigation to be done, but the process had been expedited by the doctor’s unexpected presence in the ER that day.

He also had a plan for treatment.

“ _Goistidh_ ,” Jamie had breathed in exhalation as he saw his godfather for the first time since the situation had unfolded. They’d had a quiet discussion, just the two of them, and Jamie had left Murtagh’s room in a much better state. Though Claire could still feel the tenseness of his muscles when he came near, he had a light in his eyes that encouraged her.

He drew close and didn’t stop, winding his arms around her, nestling his chin against the top of her head. She pressed her ear against his chest just to hear the beating of his heart, strong and steady.

There was a road ahead that none of them wished to travel, yet none had a choice. Where the choice lay, was in how they proceeded to walk it. Murtagh would choose tenacity and dignity. Suzette would stand beside him, a faithful cheerleader.

As he always did, Jamie would approach things with valor and bravery, standing as a pillar of strength in the midst of the tumult. His family would look to him in the coming days to lead them. And the source of his strength would be Claire. His Sorcha. His light.

**Author's Note:**

> (Author's note contains spoilers)
> 
> Some of you know that my grandma had cancer. It should have been quite easy to treat (and was). Completely out of the blue she experienced some other complications and she passed away very abruptly in February. I wanted to write something that touched upon a few of my emotions during the time of her treatment. I also wanted Murtagh to have the happy ending that so many of our loved ones don't get. Murtagh will beat this cancer. Whether in a fic or just in my imagination I want you to know that cancer doesn't win this time!


End file.
